They don’t want to be “lovable losers” anymore.
The Chicago Cubs, who ended a 108-year world championship drought in 2016, continue to stockpile sluggers who could spur a quick return to the playoffs. The Cubs have missed post-season play two years in a row and have not won a pennant in seven years.
The latest to sign on is Trey Mancini, a cancer survivor who hit only .176 for the World Champion Houston Astros before going 1-for-24 in the postseason. But he carries a strong resume and is capable of playing both outfield corners, providing right-handed power in the DH role, and backing newly-signed first baseman Eric Hosmer.
Mancini, who turns 31 during spring training, signed a two-year Cubs contract over the weekend, giving manager David Ross another dependable bat. The deal contains $14 million in guaranteed money plus the potential of another $7 million in incentives tied to plate appearances. It also has a opt-out clause after this season if Mancini accumulates 350 plate appearances.
The Cubs have also added Dansby Swanson, a Gold Glove shortstop, and former National League MVP Cody Bellinger, plus Hosmer and starting pitcher Jameson Taillon.
Those moves gave the club a projected payroll of $183.6 million, according to Roster Resource, and a month to make more moves before spring training starts.
Swanson, also an All-Star while playing for Atlanta last year, got the biggest deal, a seven-year contract worth $177 million. Bellinger signed for one year, while Hosmer hooked on for the minimum after drawing his release from the Boston Red Sox.
Except for Swanson and Taillon, who got a four-year deal, are short-term rehabilitation projects, suggesting a willingness to gamble by Jed Hoyer, director of baseball operations for the Cubs.
The Cubs finished third in the NL Central with a 74-88 record, 19 games behind the front-running St. Louis Cardinals, but had a strong second half, posting a 39-31 mark after the All-Star Game.
Chicago’s struggles against St. Louis, its No. 1 rival, were distressing. The Cubs went only 6-13 against the Cardinals but were 10-9 against the Milwaukee Brewers, who finished second.
Beefing up the offense was a key off-season objective for Hoyer, whose club hit only 159 home runs despite playing half its schedule in hitter-friendly Wrigley Field. Eight NL teams, including both the Cards and Brewers, out-homered the 2022 Cubs.
Mancini had personal peaks of 35 home runs and 97 runs batted while playing for the Baltimore Orioles in 2019 and hit 24 home runs in two seasons prior to that. He is a .265 lifetime hitter.
He missed all of the 2020 campaign with colon cancer but played in 147 games upon his return a year later, when he was named American League Comeback Player of the Year.
His production was negatively impacted by Baltimore’s decision to push back the left-field fences at Oriole Park. The Cubs are betting that he’ll find Wrigley Field much friendlier – especially when the ever-present Lake Michigan wind is blowing out.
